


Time For Goodbye

by angelus2hot



Category: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Genre: Angst, Community: smallfandomfest, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-20 20:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/891496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelus2hot/pseuds/angelus2hot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Letting go is never easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time For Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** Time For Goodbye  
>  **Fandom:** Hercules the Legendary Journeys  
>  **Characters/Pairing:** Hercules/Deianeira  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word Count:** 1,241  
>  **Summary:** Letting go is never easy.  
>  **A/N:** written for [Smallfandomfest](http://smallfandomfest.livejournal.com) fest13

Tears fell unchecked down Hercules’ face as he fell to his knees on the ground in front of the burned ruins of his home. This shouldn’t have happened. _It was all his fault!_ The words of blame kept running through his mind in time with the tears that fell from his eyes.

Years later and the pain of losing them was still so fresh in his heart it felt as if it would never end. And if he were completely honest with himself he didn’t want it to, not really. The pain he felt was the only thing he had that tied him to his family. It helped keep their memory alive in his heart.

He had no idea he’d spoken out loud until his father, the king of the gods spoke. “That’s not true, Hercules. The pain of losing them isn’t what’s keeping their memories in your heart. Your love does that.”

Hercules didn’t bother to raise his head and look at Zeus. “What would you know about love?” Even though he had barely whispered the sarcastic question his father heard him.

“I know a sight more about love then you do, my son. Do you think you are the only one who has ever felt loss?” He placed his hand on his son’s shoulder and was surprised when Hercules didn’t move away from his touch. “This pain isn’t good for you, Hercules. You have to let them go. You have to tell her goodbye.”

“I don’t know how.” Hercules voice broke on the admission.

Tears swam in Zeus’ eyes. He couldn’t stand the pain his son was in. “I’ll help you. If you will let me.”

“How?” 

“Would you like to see Deianeira again?” At the look in his son’s eyes Zeus quickly continued, “Before you get your hopes up. I can’t give her back to you. That would take a miracle and there’s no such thing as miracles. I can’t give you a lot of time either. At best I can only give you an hour. Hades doesn’t like people who aren’t supposed to be in the Elysian Fields yet to be there but I’ve told him what I was going to do. I can’t say he was thrilled but...” Zeus shrugged his shoulders. “But you will get to see her, touch her again and most importantly you can tell her goodbye. Would you let me help you with this, my son?”

“You can do that?” Doubt was clear in the tone of his voice.

His lips pulled upward in a small smile. “I am the King of the Gods and I can do anything I wish.” His smile turned rueful. “Well, almost anything.”

Hercules nodded his head. “Yes, I would very much like to see my wife again.”

Zeus waved his arm in a wide arc. “Then behold, your wife and children.”

 

For a split second the air shimmered around them before an opening between his world and the Elysian Fields slowly appeared.

Hercules’ mouth fell open in shock before he quickly closed his mouth and turned to stare at his father. “I don’t know what to say. How to thank you.”

Zeus shook his head. “Go see your wife, Hercules. Tell her everything you want to tell her, everything you want her to know and then tell her goodbye. But remember you only have an hour. And for the love of me don’t eat or drink anything while you’re there.”

With tears in his eyes Hercules turned and stepped through the opening.

More than anything the king of the gods wanted to stay and watch his son, just to make sure he would be okay; after all he knew from experience letting go wasn’t easy. But instead, with one last look, he left his son alone to say goodbye to the life he had and the life that might have been.

 

 

Within seconds Hercules was standing in the middle of a gorgeous meadow with his wife in his arms and his children dancing around them. Deianeira quickly shooed the children away before she spoke. “Hercules, you’re not... “ Her voice broke as she clutched the fabric of his shirt in her hands. “Please, for the love of the gods, please tell me you’re not dead.”

He quickly shook his head. “Shh, Deianeira. Calm down. I’m not dead. I swear it.”

A huge sigh of relief escaped her as she stared up into her husband’s gorgeous blue eyes. “Then how are you, why are you here?”

“Zeus let me come see you. I wanted to, I have to tell you, because I didn’t get a chance to tell you before you...” He paused as his voice cracked with the pain of losing her and his children. “I love you, Deianeira. I will always love you. I miss you and the children every day of my life.”

Deianeira smiled up at her husband. “You didn’t have to come here to tell me that, although I’m glad you did, but I already knew it, Hercules. So do your children. We have always known how much you loved us.” 

“But I should have...”

She placed her fingers against his lips. “There’s nothing you could have done. We don’t blame you for anything. And you shouldn’t blame yourself.” She stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss where her fingers had been. “How long can you stay?”

“Only an hour.” He pulled her body tight against his. “It’s not enough time. Forever wouldn’t be enough.”

“But we’ll have to take what we can get and be grateful for it.”

They spent the hour together with the children, talking, laughing and remembering. No mention was made of how short his stay would be. Thankfully the children wouldn’t carry this memory. They would only have a sense of loving their father and of his always being with them in their hearts.

 

All too soon their time was up.

Deianeira stepped into the circle of her husband’s arms. “Thank Zeus for me. Tell him this time with you has meant more to me then anything he could have done.”

Hercules nodded before he leaned his head down. He kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose and both of her cheeks before his lips met hers. His eyes filled with tears as he slowly raised his head. “Goodbye, Deianeira. I will never stop loving you. I will love you until the day I die and even after that.” Maybe someday they could be together again but no matter how much it pained him to admit it now was not that time.

Deianeira leaned her head against his chest. She could feel his heart beating against her cheek. It took everything she had not to beg him not to leave her, to stay with her and the children forever. But she couldn’t do that to him; he didn’t belong in the Elysian Fields. She raised her head and stared into his eyes. “I love you too, Hercules. I will always love you.” She let her hands fall to her waist as Hercules took a step away from her. 

Tears filled her eyes as Hercules whispered, “Tell the children I love them.”

“I will.”

Within moments Hercules had stepped through the opening and the Elysian Fields had disappeared from sight.

Once again Hercules fell to his knees but this time it was to give thanks to Zeus for giving him the chance to say goodbye.


End file.
